


Across the Universe

by kellbelle



Series: Alternate Thedas [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Corypheus has nuclear weapons holy shit, Depression, Evolution, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Literally only Trevelyan because she's human, Modern Girl in Thedas, Nuclear Fallout, Nuclear Weapons, Philosophy, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:58:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6138993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kellbelle/pseuds/kellbelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corypheus has somehow managed to procure nuclear weapons and destroys Earth in the process of opening the Breach. There is only one survivor who magically lands in Thedas and must prevent Corypheus from using these new weapons on this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fallout

“Mom, what is that noise?” Edith gazed at her surroundings and noted that indeed, they were still in the middle of a national park.

The blaring siren seemed to echo across the very mountain itself. The nearest city was more than an hour away and yet the unmistakable, eerie sound seemed louder than ever. There was no need for such a siren in a region where there were no tornadoes, tsunamis, or other potentially devastating natural disasters.

She looked back at her mother whose large, brown eyes so like her's had widened in alarm.

“Edith, Suzy run!”

Without a second thought she obeyed, reaching for her younger sister's hand. Edith looked back to her mother standing in front of the Pleasant Point View overlooking the valley below and gasped. It was too late.

It was loud, far too loud from this distance and yet the impact was deafening. Her feet froze in place in the dirt as she watched in horror at what she was witnessing.

The beginnings of a mushroom cloud emerged, rapidly increasing in size and she knew then that this was the end. Nineteen years in this world and just in her small lifetime humanity was at an end. This was a nuclear disaster. Yet, she ignored the horrifying scene before her and reached for her mother with her free hand. They had to just try.

The little family ran down the trail, her younger sister sobbing while she and her mother attempted to drag her in a panic further and further away from their originally idyllic hiking spot.

With one last desperate breath, Edith surged forward only to be blinded and frozen by a harsh green light before everything went black.

 

The first thing Edith took note of was the cold, stone floor beneath her cheek. The second was that there was a sharp, unrelenting pain searing into her left hand. The third was that there were voices around her speaking in a language she could hardly recognize.

There before her was a stern, armored woman holding a very sharp, very real sword in her palm effortlessly and heading directly toward Edith.

“Wait, please don't!” Edith cried, throwing her bound hands in front of her face in a vain attempt to shield herself.

She heard the woman shouting rapidly in her foreign tongue before reeling back and grabbing onto her shoulder to yank her up. Edith yelped as she was forced to stand, the black-haired armor enthusiast towering before her with a look of cold fury.

“Please, I do not understand your language. I don't know what's going on!” Edith pleaded, her body cowering away from the woman.

A calm, firm voice spoke from behind the woman in armor and Edith carefully regarded her too. She wore a strange purple tunic with a hood draped over her cropped, fiery hair and had piercing blue eyes. Cold, calculating eyes that could unravel your very soul.

The grip on Edith's shoulder ceased but not before the woman stood back, exasperated, to speak slowly as if she were speaking to a child.

“Cass-an-dra,” the woman enunciated while motioning to herself.

Edith took a ragged breath and gingerly stepped backward from the woman she now knew was called Cassandra.

“E-dith,” she motioned to her chest with her bound hands. Her knees trembled as she watched Cassandra step forward and pull her sword back out from the sheath at her belt.

Cassandra grabbed her wrists and expertly sliced through the rope until her hands were broken from their bounds. The strange, green, pulsating wound on her hand seemed to sizzle in response before she held it to her chest in fear.

“What is happening to me? Please help me.”

The tears brimmed close to the surface as she regarded the red-haired woman pitifully. She couldn't remember anything. Nothing.

She was supposed to be hiking with her mom and sister this weekend, they were going to camp for the night and roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire. She wanted to swim in the stream she used to play in when she was little and jump off the waterfall with Suzy. This wasn't supposed to happen, she shouldn't be here.

A look of understanding passed on the silent woman's face and she nodded and spoke in a hushed tone to Cassandra. In turn, Cassandra reached for her hand and led her out of the holding cell she was trapped in.

The air was cold and the mountain before them was covered in snow. Yet the very sky itself spilled a vicious green light that was so achingly familiar, it disturbed her to her very core. This was not the mountain they were supposed to be on. This was an entirely... different region from the looks of it.

Her blue jeans and simple green sweater would do nothing to protect against the biting chill of the mountain but she wouldn't dare ask for a jacket from the angry woman leading her away.

The wound seared through her hand, the pain freezing her in agony as she fell to her knees and clutched her hand to her chest. This would kill her.

She was given little to no time to recover, for Cassandra had promptly grabbed her arm and shoved her upward. They were headed toward the rocky path headed to the heart of the odd, green mark in the sky. Really, there was no room for argument with this woman and so she followed.

The pain eventually dulled until her hand was numb and aching and she was blindly climbing over stone debris and fallen trees further away from what little civilization she was subjected to. The strange and angry people dressed in clothing, not unlike Cassandra's, had looked and spat at her with nothing but pure hatred in their expression. Perhaps, she had been kidnapped by a cult. Perhaps, she was being led to her death as a sacrifice. At this point there was little to no room to care.

More voices and the sound of battle Edith thought she would only ever hear in movies disrupted her from her thoughts and she was met with a terrifying and yet most peculiar sight.

Another small, green tear in the sky was before them, spilling creatures into the battle. There were green apparitions firing energy left and right and a clawed creature that seemed to be on fire attempting to slice through its opponents.

Somehow, the most shocking thing to witness had to be the elf twirling a staff that shot beams of energy and ice into the fray around them. Elves simply did not exist. The short man wielding a crossbow was hardly believable enough as it was.

The bald elf seemed to take notice of her astonished self standing anxiously away from the fight and he immediately made a beeline toward her. With a surge of panic, Edith cowered once more, shielding her face and upper body while the green wound began to gnaw at her very being once more.

She was unaware of frantic hands on her until after the wound seemed to “click” and a jolt of pain shot through her arm. Her face contorted in pain as the sky sizzled and screamed before them until everything become quiet.

Clutching her hand back to her chest, she let out a choked gasp as the pain dulled once more. There was a hesitant, gentle hand clutching at her forearm and she looked up to find the elf man kneeling beside her in the snow.

The words he spoke were strange and sounded entirely too guttural and quick to be considered language. She shook her head in frustration and sighed heavily.

“I do not know what you are saying. There is nothing I can do to help,” Edith murmured between long breaths so as not to exasperate her asthma.

The elf's stormy, gray eyes gazed into her own with a look of understanding and without warning, his hand was now gripping her chin to steady her face before his. Her breath caught, her body froze in place in silent, fearful anticipation. The elf spoke softly, a light blue trickle leaving his mouth and entering her's abruptly before her throat seized and she coughed.

“What on Earth was that?” Edith demanded between choked breaths. Shocked gasps sounded from behind her and she whipped up in confusion.

“Did that girl just speak the common tongue?” The short man with a crossbow asked, his bushy, blonde brows furrowed in confusion.

“It is a simple spell I learned in the Fade. There shall be no more translation issues, if the spell is maintained,” the elf's voice was smooth and soft from beside her. Despite the pointed elf ears and strange attire, he reminded her of a professor.

“Where am I?” Edith asked hurriedly while scrambling to her feet. “Who are you people? Where are you taking me? Where is my family?”

Cassandra glared at her and with a huff, she stepped forward and spoke in a tone that would hear no argument.

“No, I ask the questions here. Who are you and where are you from?”

“My name is Edith Lancaster. I'm from San Diego,” she offered easily in response.

“Where is that?”

“California.”

“And where is that?”

“The United States of America...” Edith arched a brow in confusion. There was no possible way these people had not heard of the United States.

“I still don't understand.”

“Um... From planet Earth. My home is Earth, as I assume is your home too.”

The three people shook their heads simultaneously while the elf man still standing beside her looked at her with a look of unadulterated wonder.

“You are not of this world, are you da'len?” The elf surged forward to grasp her chin once more. His eyes bore into her own before flickering to the rest of her features with an expression of pure fascination. Truly, she was nothing more than a lab rat to this strange elf man.

“Eh Chuckles, leave the kid alone. She's scared,” the short man interrupted with a placating grin. The elf abruptly took a step away and bowed his head apologetically.

“Please tell me where I am,” Edith pleaded to the people around her. She looked into the elf's gray eyes, knowing if anyone were to give her any answers it would be him.

“This world we live in is called Thedas,” he supplied smoothly.

“Varric Tethras, famed Dwarven prince of the Merchant's Guild, at your service,” the blonde dwarf cut in with an outstretched hand. Gingerly, Edith returned the gesture and nodded thankfully.

“Thank you, Varric. I'm Edith as you know,” she tried to respond with a polite smile.

“And I am Solas. It is nice to meet you,” the elf added.

“Solas, may I ask if those are real or is that rude?” Edith blurted as she gazed upon his sharp, elongated ears. He raised an eyebrow in question.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Your... ears. You look like an elf and they, um, do not exist on Earth.” A startled laugh escaped the dwarf beside her while Solas bristled.

“I am indeed real, that I can assure you. We will have this discussion at a later time. For now, we must continue to the breach. Only you can close it,” Solas responded neutrally.

“Is that where all these weird creatures are coming from?”

“Yes, now let's please get on with it,” Cassandra growled impatiently.

 

Edith was met with demons and disagreeable persons alike as they neared the roaring mark in the sky. Several times, the party would have to pause while she would be overcome with excruciating pain and almost pass out. Thankfully, Solas was helping her along and pouring soothing, gold energy into her palm.

When they finally reached the clearing on the mountaintop, red gem-like crystals littered their path. The strange minerals seemed to hum an eerie, alluring and yet entirely repulsive song that almost pulled Edith into them before Varric grabbed hold of her sweater and warned her not to touch the stuff.

_“With these weapons from my conquered world, I can then lay claim on Thedas as my own. It is the dawn of a new beginning. Cast aside your old gods and bow to me.”_

The deep, threatening voice boomed from inside the swarming mass of green energy and Edith froze. It was her. She was standing there at Pleasant Point View overlooking the valley with her mother and sister, Suzy, before they heard the sirens. Then there was the mushroom cloud. Her world was dead.

“No...”

Her knees gave out from under her as she struggled to stay the tears. She remembered now. Every person she had ever loved was dead. Humanity itself was destroyed along with thousands of years of history and millions of years of evolution. Her life was no more, her people were no more. She would not wake up at seven thirty to get to class on time anymore, she wouldn't play video games with Suzy, she wouldn't bake with her mom. She'd never see them or anyone again.

_“There were supposed to be no survivors. Kill her.”_

“Please wake up, it's not real...”

“Da'len, you must get up. We must close this breach,” Solas murmured gently among the sound of warriors preparing for a possible threat.

“You... have no idea what has been lost,” Edith's voice cracked as she shivered and clutched at the snow beneath her fingertips.

“No, I do not. I would have you tell me later, if you wish. For now, we must finish our task.”

Edith obeyed because what else could she possibly do? She allowed the elf to lead her to the gigantic green mass and let the pain seize her hand.

There were demons (a horned, purple giant with a whip to be precise) but Edith stayed out of the way as she was told. Her body was numb and truthfully, she did not care if she lived or died. It didn't matter if this world perished. Her own was destroyed because of this one. Some bastard wiped out her planet with nuclear weapons and if that was the plan with this one, so be it.

“Edith! Use your mark!” Solas shouted over his shoulder before narrowly dodging the whip of the demon.

Wordlessly, she reached up to the sky again, bracing herself for the inevitable pain she was gradually becoming more accustomed to. This time, she succumbed to it and her world was black once more.

 


	2. There is No Time for Mourning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: I apologize if my mentioning of the theory of evolution offends anybody. I am no expert but I am studying human evolution and it is one of my favorite subjects that I (and, frankly, everyone should) accept as fact. I believe it is important to at least address briefly because in this fic, Earth is gone. A nuclear disaster has pretty much destroyed all life and Edith has to deal with being the last human from the planet Earth. She has been thrust into an entirely different world and so I will be exploring her mourning, survivor's guilt, and some pretty heavy questions about life in general. Hope you enjoy!

She awoke to a crash and a yelp. An elf, yes _an elf_ , scrambled away from her in a panic while mouthing apologies.

“You need not be scared of me,” Edith spoke, her voice hoarse and small.

“Cassandra insists you meet her in the Chantry as soon as you wake!” The girl cried before running out of the room.

Then it was real. Elves were real, she was in an entirely different world possibly on another planet in another galaxy or universe and she was alone. Earth has been destroyed. Her family was dead.

A strangled sob escaped her throat and she let her head fall back on the pillow. Edith was not usually one to let her emotions get the better of her, but circumstances had her letting out pitiful wails. Her entire way of life was dead. There was no chance of escape, no way home. She was stuck in a world that could potentially be destroyed by the same weapons that wiped out her own planet.

She didn't know how long she lay there, sobbing into the bed and clutching at the sheets. What was the point of even pretending?

Eventually, she did get up. She splashed her tear-streaked and red face with some nearby water in a basin and braided her hair to the side before exiting the little cabin. All manner of people were there staring in awe and whispering in hushed tones as she passed. She scolded herself for her lack of proper attire in this sort of weather and soon wandered into the largest building she assumed was the Chantry.

“Put this woman in chains! She is no Herald of Andraste, she is a demon of the Fade! She doesn't belong in this world!” An older, fuming gentleman in ridiculous robes spewed at her as soon as she approached the room she had guessed Cassandra was in. The words momentarily stunned her before she regarded Cassandra.

“We will do no such thing. She stabilized the breach, she has helped us. I do not believe she is a demon, Roderick,” Cassandra responded sternly, her jaw clenching and fingernails digging into her palms.

“Look at this heathen!”

Her throat constricted as she fought to find the words to subdue this man. His eyes brimmed with unabashed vitriol as he began to stomp over to her. There really was nothing she could say to this person and so she backed into the door, unsure of whether to bolt or stand her ground.

“The Chantry would never endorse this so-called 'Herald of Andraste'. It is unlawful-”

“And because the Chantry refuses to cooperate with us, I hereby declare the Inquisition reinstated,” Cassandra's sharp accent bounced across the room as she slammed a heavy tome onto the desk. Roderick spun back around to face the Seeker in astonishment.

“You wouldn't-”

“I would. We will fix the mistakes of the Chantry and _we will_ restore order to Thedas with or without you. Get out.”

The man left but not without some offended scowls and mutterings under his breath. She was left with Cassandra, utterly too drained and numb to do anything than wait for the armored woman to address her presence.

“I know this is confusing, let me bring in our other members to help explain things.”

“Are you not still wary of me?” Edith asked, silently cursing herself for her broken voice.

“Well, are you a demon?”

“No...”

“Then I believe you innocent,” Cassandra responded unceremoniously as she approached the door where Edith stood by.

Cassandra opened the wooden door and waved, bringing in three people who all looked relatively hesitant. Edith was indeed an alien to these people.

“I am Leliana, as you may remember, I am in ch-”

“She is our spymaster.”

“Tactfully put, Cassandra,” the red-headed woman from the holding cell responded with a polite nod.

“I am Commander Cullen, leader of the Inquisition's forces,” a handsome, broad and blond-haired man wearing heavy, fur-lined armor greeted her with a slight twitch of his scarred lip that could barely be called a smile. His palm rested on the pommel of the sword strapped to his belt as he surveyed Edith very carefully.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Herald of Andraste. I am Josephine, the Inquisition's ambassador,” a beautiful, tan woman in golden puffy sleeves addressed her with a polite smile.

Edith nodded to the advisers, too worried to try and smile. She knew it was useless, everyone around her could probably tell she was on edge. They were scared of her seeing how she was an alien.

“I'm afraid I do not know what a Herald of Andraste is, or a Chantry for that matter. I would be most appreciative if someone could clue me in on what is going on and why you need this Inquisition,” Edith finally spoke, her voice slightly more smooth despite the slight tremble.

“Of course. We... see that you are not from our world and were brought forth from the breach. It is imperative that the Herald of Andraste understand Thedas and its people and problems,” Leliana spoke up with an understanding nod.

“First, Herald, I would have you tell me of how this breach has affected you. We do not fully understand how you were brought to our world,” Commander Cullen interrupted, his tone somewhat harsh and critical.

Edith braced herself with her unmarked hand against the table and closed her eyes. Her body shook slightly and she fought to keep the tears at bay. How could she keep it together for these strangers?

“M-my world... It was destroyed. Everyone is dead and I should be too. Nuclear weapons were fired by who I assume was the person responsible for your breach and somehow I survived.”

She opened her eyes to find the Commander staring at her with his golden eyes softening before he flicked his gaze downward.

“Nuclear weapons?” Josephine inquired, bewildered.

“They are extremely powerful weapons. If the initial blast doesn't kill you, the fallout inevitably will.”

“I still do not understand.”

A pitiful chuckle escaped Edith before she could suppress it. These people could not possibly understand but apparently it was up to them to save their little world.

“You do not want to. You are a primitive society compared to what my world was. You are nowhere near as technologically advanced and I myself am not exactly an expert on nuclear weapons and yet I am all you have. I apologize that I cannot offer any more information.”

Her voice was bitter but Edith was beyond caring. She owed this organization nothing and yet they needed her of all people. Why couldn't a nuclear physicist have been pulled into this world instead of a useless college student?

“We know you are grieving but we, too, have lost hundreds-”

Edith interrupted with another mirthless laugh while shaking her head.

“ _I lost billions_. Billions of people are dead. Thousands and thousands of years of history, hundreds of cultures and technological advancement are gone. Every person I have ever loved is dead. My entire way of life is gone and I can never, ever return home.” The words poured from her mouth in rapid, angry succession while the others looked at her pitifully. Shame washed over Edith before she whipped around and headed for the door.

Before stepping through she paused and sighed.

“I apologize. I will not be myself for quite some time. I will offer any help I can but for now I...I just need to breathe,” Edith spoke barely above a whisper before retreating.

 

It was futile to attempt sleep and yet the bed she awoke in all those hours ago is where she remained for now. The candles had long since burned out and the air was quickly freezing as the fire died. She did not move.

There was a gentle knock and she attempted to call loud enough for whoever was there to enter.

The elf, Solas, she had met a couple days ago was carrying a sack on his shoulder and a tray full of admittedly delicious-smelling food.

“Hello Edith. I was told to bring you some food and some clothes Josephine has personally picked for you,” he explained in the doorway. A blast of cold air blew in and she shivered automatically.

“Of course, come in.”

Silently, Solas shut the wooden door behind him and with a flick of his wrist, all of the candles in the room lit up. He placed the sack of clothing on the desk before bringing the tray over to the bed to place on her lap.

“Eat, da'len,” he insisted gently.

Hesitantly, she picked up the wooden spoon to poke at the hearty stew, bread, and cheeses on her tray. First, she reached for the glass of bitter wine and took a large gulp before spooning some stew into her mouth.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Solas tending to the dying fire before he approached again. He brought a chair over from the desk and sat, crossing his arms to observe as she ate. She was scowling before she had even realized what she was doing.

“You know, I imagine that my species of human eats relatively similar to your species,” she said blandly between bites of the somewhat stale bread.

“I do not mean to stare-”

“No... I'm sorry. Th-thank you for bringing me some food. I can understand your curiosity completely. You are welcome to ask any questions you may have.”

The elf's stormy eyes widened briefly before he nodded thankfully.

“I want you to start from the beginning of your people's history.”

“That might take a while, dude,” Edith warned with a bemused smirk as she looked at him.

“Please, I do not mind.”

“Well, we think it all started with a bang. This bang created the universe itself as we know it which your people are also apart of. The bang created stars, galaxies, planets, black holes, everything. It happened billions of years ago. Earth was formed more than four billion years ago. Eventually millions of years later, bacteria formed on this planet which is how life began. Bacteria evolves and well, humans sort of came out of the mix somewhere only a few million years ago. I know that's confusing, I just can't be bothered to clarify right now, sorry. We evolved to be the most intelligent life on the planet despite being so closely related to other primates. Now everyone is probably dead. The end.”

Her words were jumbled and bitter towards the end of her little speech before she slumped back against the headboard. Her food and wine was now finished and she wanted nothing more than to slink back under the covers.

“Evolve, what do you mean evolve?” Solas asked, his expression dumbfounded and brows raised in suspicion.

“Well, all the species on this planet most certainly probably did the same thing. You are an intelligent being and though I fail to understand entirely the difference between the species here it is blatantly obvious that elves, humans, and dwarfs are related. Your very way of life and development of language itself is proof enough that the people on this planet evolved into what they are today,” she tried to explain, her hands moving rapidly around for emphasis.

“Are you suggesting that all the races of Thedas are somehow related? What about gods?”

“I don't know, probably. Maybe some gods set all that into motion, maybe there are no gods. I hold no such beliefs myself. Life started because the conditions were just right and that all happened because of that big bang.”

Solas grew very quiet, his eyes wide and body stiff against the chair. Maybe she said too much. Edith let her mouth get the better of her and in her need to just talk about life on Earth she had probably pushed away a potential friend.

“I'm very sorry if I've said too much or if I am confusing you.”

“Do not mistake me, I am grateful that you are speaking to me. I am just at a loss for words,” he admitted with a bow of his head.

“People do-” _did_ “-hold religious beliefs. Earth has its own higher powers that are worshiped in different cultures. As I am sure that is how it is here too,” Edith added carefully, hoping not to offend.

“And what of magic?” Solas inquired, raising his head once more to lock his entrancing eyes with her's.

“It does not exist. There are no elves and there is certainly no magic. Earth is a highly technologically advanced society though and I fear I may have offended the advisers earlier by calling your Thedas primitive,” Edith said with a faint smirk. Solas let out a surprised, warm chuckle.

“This world is primitive, is it?” His eyes sparked with amusement as he looked at her.

“Well look at your clothes!” she insisted, a laugh escaping her. The sound surprised even her for she was hardly expecting to find laughter so soon after losing everything.

“I fail to see what is wrong with my choice of attire.”

“Not just you, everyone. People stopped dressing like they were stuck in the Dark Ages since, well, the Dark Ages.”

“What is the Dark Ages?”

“The Dark Ages was a time also referred to as the Medieval era. It is awfully similar to the way of life here except without all the magic and elves and stuff. This was about...” She trailed off and sighed. Really for a student of history, she should be much better at this. “Ah, five-hundred something years ago.”

His gaze was thoughtful as he leaned forward, hands clasped tightly in his lap. It almost seemed as if he was truly eager to learn of her world.

“What of your Modern era? What happened in a day in the life of Edith Lancaster?”

“We had so much, Solas,” she spoke faintly as her eyes looked down at the tray upon her lap. How could he understand what it is to lose everything?

“If you do not wish-”

“No, I can tell you. I am...” _was_ “...a college student. I was studying history and biology. I drove a little white Ford and lived with my mom and younger sister. I wanted to work in a museum, perhaps in a laboratory; I wanted to study human evolution. I am a proficient musician and I liked to play with Suzy.”

Her voice cracked when she said her little sister's name. Suzy was dead. They wouldn't get to play guitar together anymore.

“I'm sorry, Solas. Maybe I will continue some other time.”

“I understand, there is no need to apologize. You are a fascinating creature and I let my eagerness to learn upset you and for that I am sorry,” Solas answered quickly, his voice holding a deep-rooted timbre of sadness she hadn't expected. His stormy eyes bore into her's as if he _understood_.

He was more than the scholarly, professor-type with an eagerness to learn. His eyes spoke of pain and regret; long-suffering and unspoken secrets that for the briefest moment Edith was witness to. They looked so very old and so very tired. Then it was gone.

She shivered, a pang of sympathy clenching at her heart as the elf flicked his gaze away from her's.

“Solas, would you stay with me?” she asked quietly, her cheeks burning as she looked everywhere but at the elf's face. “Um, I mean, I would love it if you told me about this world starting from the beginning of your people's history,” she added quickly, mirroring his earlier words.

A small smile tugged at his pale lips and the eagerness returned to his gray eyes once more.

“I would be honored to teach you, da'len.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, Edith hasn't really accepted that she is the last human from Earth yet. She is still in shock and hasn't really absorbed the whole "Herald of Andraste, potential nuclear war" thing yet but I will be getting more into that later.


	3. Anomaly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I've been relatively busy with homework and such but I'm on Spring Break now. Hopefully I'll be able to write and update more frequently. 
> 
> I do not feel completely confident writing from Solas's POV but here's my attempt in this little chapter.
> 
> 4/1/2016: I am on a brief hiatus. I'm going through a break up and I can't find it in myself to write at all about romance. We were going to get married so I'm in a very bad place right now. I'm very sorry.

She was an anomaly and so (naturally) he was drawn to her. Her aura beamed a bright cacophony of his own powerful magic and something frighteningly alien; undoubtedly the very essence of a world newly destroyed.

For just near a fortnight, he would actively seek her out just to converse with her. She spoke of her home; a violent, overcrowded world with millions of years of history that probably long surpassed Thedas itself. She would speak fondly of her old life, filled with technologies Thedas would probably never see unless Edith herself attempted to recreate them. Yet even so, she was detached.

Those who would call her “Herald” looked upon her with awe and fear, her own advisers wary of even approaching an unknown creature who could very well be a demon. Despite Solas's reassurances to Leliana and Cullen in particular, they still had no reason to trust her.

Other than himself, surprisingly, the only people who would engage in conversation with the Herald was the Seeker and the dwarf. Varric, a friendly fellow with an admittedly charming personality, was expected to befriend her. Cassandra was an entirely different matter; the hardy woman truly believed Edith to be the sent by the prophet, Andraste.

Now, the quartet had settled a small camp in the Hinterlands to seek out a Chantry official, Mother Giselle. Commander Cullen had openly expressed his hesitance to send a “potentially harmful” being into unstable lands to find a Chantry mother but Leliana had insisted.

Solas noted the way Edith tensed when speaking to the Commander and the Spymaster. She looked not unlike the other shemlen surrounding them and so there were no outward differences except the occasional slip of a phrase or reference no one around her could possibly understand. Edith did not deserve such treatment after her unwavering cooperation with people she owed no loyalty to.

_“Don't worry about me, Commander. I understand religious people and know how to behave respectfully.”_

_“You can't possibly understand-”_

_“On the contrary, from my world there were very similar religions and I will act accordingly as to not offend. It is the least I can do.”_

He sighed, remembering the blatant distrust and malice radiating from the Commander, whether intentional or not, and watched carefully as Edith spoke to Mother Giselle.

As Solas suspected, she managed her conversation perfectly well with polite nods and reassuring smiles meant to comfort (although it never reached her eyes). It was evident that Mother Giselle had quickly become captivated by the Herald, going so far as to offer her the Maker's blessing. As a sign of respect the Herald accepted the blessing with her head bowed, although he knew it was only to mask her subtle discomfort.

“Herald,” he greeted her with a nod as she approached, her conversation with the Chantry mother ended.

“Hi Solas,” she answered automatically with a small smile.

“May I inquire what our next course of action will be?”

Edith sighed and looked down at her feet. She idly stretched the sleeves of her new scout's coat over her palms and shrugged.

“The Hinterlands needs to be stabilized and so the Inquisition should lend their aid.”

He eyed her curiously, noting her rapidly reddening cheeks and her avoidance of eye contact.

“Is something troubling you?”

“Actually-”

“Report for you, Ser.”

Edith sighed and turned to the Requisition Officer as they neared the camp overlooking the Crossroads. The Officer handed her the report and nodded respectfully before leaving himself and Edith to their privacy once more.

Her brows furrowed in frustration and she wordlessly handed the letter to him.

“Perhaps there is a spell to help me read this. These characters are unlike anything back home,” she murmured, her voice weary and hoarse.

“I'm afraid not, da'len. I shall have to teach you how to read the Thedosian alphabet once we return to Haven,” he answered before skimming through the missive. “It looks like there are several rifts near the farms to the northwest that we must attend to.”

She visibly grimaced and crossed her arms over her chest before leaning against the damp bark of an oak tree nearby. Her lips were chapped and peeling, her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen and a thin sheen of sweat marked her dark brows. From her appearance alone, she looked well beyond exhausted. From their unfortunately brief conversations, Solas knew that the Fade was not a real presence on Earth and each night Edith had to face the foreign world of dreams alone. Countless nights, he had tried to overcome the barrier to enter her dreams but it was to no avail as of yet. He felt entirely powerless to help her.

_Such a thing would not have been a problem in Arlathan..._

“I do not have any combat skills whatsoever. I've only ever taken one self defense class in my life and that was to protect myself against potential assaults on campus. I don't know how to use a sword or daggers and I really, really don't want to have to kill things,” she spoke quickly, her deep brown eyes avoiding his gaze as if she were ashamed.

She was just a child after all. If anything of what she had claimed about Earth was true, there was no need for knowledge of combat to an average citizen. Edith had been thrust into a world filled with violence and unknown magics that she had a hard enough time trying to understand as it was. He pitied her lack of training with any weaponry and silently vowed to help find her an instructor. The Herald of Andraste should know how to protect herself.

“For now, Varric can probably help you with archery and Cassandra would be more than happy to spar with you. I'm afraid I would be of very little help seeing as my strengths lie with magic and the Fade,” Solas suggested before clasping his hands behind his back.

He watched as her expression sunk before she averted her gaze from the ground. Her large, brown eyes latched onto his until she spotted Cassandra in the background.

“This will not go as well as you think, Solas.”

“Nonsense. The Seeker will be most understanding.”

One dark brow raised in challenge as she straightened her back and strode across the camp heading for the stern Seeker.

“Hey! Couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Chuckles. Why don't I show you some tricks with a bow, eh?” Varric loudly intercepted Edith with a charming grin and outstretched arms. He heard the Herald sigh but agree with a polite nod.

Watching Edith struggle with holding the bow was difficult indeed. The dwarf was a master with only his crossbow and claimed to just be a poor teacher but unfortunately Edith may have just been a poor rogue. Her form was too tense, her face marred in intense concentration while she hissed and cursed under her breath. To make matters worse, their little session had drawn the attention of Inquisition soldiers and farmers all too fascinated with the failings of their Herald.

Before he could intervene, the bow erupted into flames. The Herald shrieked, falling backwards as the entire area surrounding her became ablaze. Varric had managed to jump back into the astonished crowd before he got caught in the roaring flames.

He could hear Edith screaming in utter terror as the flames consumed her, effectively shielding her from the rest of the crowd. Cassandra hurried forward, her sword drawn, with a baffled Scout Harding on her tail.

“What is the meaning of this; where is the Herald?” The Seeker demanded, her furious eyes boring into Solas as he ran through his options.

He needed to act quickly or the Herald would be seriously injured, if she wasn't already. He conjured frost in his palm before tending to the rapidly expanding flames. The air became thick with smoke as the Seeker and dwarf began to cough and push the soldiers and farmers back to safety. Solas continued his ministrations on the burning woodlands, desperately pouring his mana into his efforts unless the entire Hinterlands were to catch aflame.

When the fire had finally died and he was leaning his hands on his knees attempting to catch his breath through the fog of smoke, he spotted Edith. Her body lay curled up on the ground, her scout's coat and underclothes singed, leaving her in next to no clothing. Her arms and legs were covered in smoldering burns while amazingly she appeared to still be wheezing.

His fatigue forgotten, Solas darted forward and instantly he channeled his mana to heal her burns. The gold aura he conjured wrapped around her limbs and disappeared into her red and swelling flesh. She let out a small whimper as her upper body trembled and struggled for breath among the smoke.

The dwarf appeared, wielding a dark woolen blanket with Cassandra at his side. Varric waited until Solas had exhausted his mana before covering their Herald quickly in the blanket. Cassandra wordlessly approached and gently pulled the wheezing prophet into her arms while Solas and Varric followed.

“So... I take it our Herald of Andraste is a mage?” Varric asked softly, attempting to lighten the mood despite the worried furrow on his brow.

Cassandra grunted in response while Solas remained quiet. How had he not known? With every single mage he had met, power radiated from their very aura. Not once had he ever encountered such a creature able to hide their magic so easily. Yes, her aura was unlike anything he'd ever seen before but he assumed he would always be able to detect a mage.

Alas, the Fade remained uncharted when it came to Edith's dreams. He was not allowed even the slightest glimpse into her mind and it frustrated him beyond belief.

“How did you not know, Solas?” Cassandra asked, a bite to her tone, effectively disrupting his thoughts. He frowned as they entered the tent she had shared with the Seeker.

“Edith is not a creature of this world, Seeker. I'm afraid she is as much a mystery to me as she is to you.”

She ignored his comment as she placed Edith softly onto a cot. With a nod, she and the dwarf exited the tent to leave Solas to his healing. Luckily, his magic was powerful enough that the burns would heal sufficiently as to not leave scars. Her wheezing however, was troubling.

As he examined the unconscious girl's chest with his magic, he noticed the acute narrowness of her airways and the intense swelling of her lungs. Such a condition was fortunately not common in Thedas, but was still present nonetheless. He placed his hands over her chest and let his mana soothe the inflammation and soon her breathing slowed as the wheezing came to an abrupt end.

Finally, he fell into the cot beside her's and let his exhaustion take over. He _would_ find her in the Fade and he _would_ find some answers.

 

 

The spirits let him traverse the Fade alone in contemplation as he searched for Edith. Now that her magic had emerged, she should be calling out to spirits and demons alike as if she were a beacon. Yet all the beings remained idle and passive.

After seemingly hours of wandering the landscape similar to that of the Hinterlands, he came across an oddity.

The Fade had transformed into something unlike anything he had been witness to before. His bare feet were now standing upon a rocky tide pool overlooking a deep, blue ocean. The sun was just beginning to set and disappear into the sea as the tide sprayed a light mist over his pale tunic and leggings. The most troubling part, however, was the sound of strange sirens from behind him.

Solas audibly gasped as a strange flying object came into view, flying directly overhead the coastline. The Fade rarely, if ever, startled him. He was shocked, his mouth agape at this strange landscape before him.

A little girl's squeal of delight had him spinning around to find a familiar looking older woman with dark brown hair and matching eyes holding the hand of the child. She could not have been older than five, dressed in a bright pink sundress and clinging to her mother.

“Edith, look at the seals!” The older woman clapped her hands excitedly and pointed off to the right where an outcropping held a large band of deep brown, whiskered, sea animals. The smell was absolutely abominable and their vocalizations were somewhat comical.

He carefully regarded the girl, noting that indeed this must have been the Herald as a child. She shared many physical characteristics with her mother and noted that the present Edith could probably pass as this woman's sister.

Unfortunately, this meant a demon was attempting to sway Edith disguised as her mother. It was no wonder the other spirits avoided her dream now. He sighed, taking care to avoid the gaps in the jagged rocks as he approached. The little girl's large eyes widened as he neared and she quickly darted behind the demon's leg.

“I will ask this of you once, Demon. Walk away from this woman's dream and no harm shall be done to you,” he said neutrally, straightening his back and peering expectantly at the demon. Recognition dawned on the spirit and it quickly unlatched Edith from its leg and nodded simply.

“I will go, Wolf.” It's voice had now warped into that of it's true nature and quickly it vanished before their eyes. The little girl was left baffled, her eyes quickly brimming with unshed tears.

“Mama?” she called pitifully and his heart sank. Here was this innocent child standing before him, desperate for her mother. The demon knew of her loss and used that grief to try and influence her,

“Da'len,” he began softly, bending his knee to her level as he approached, “It is me, Solas. This is not real, Edith.”

She cocked her head and stared up into his eyes, her lips parting in deep contemplation. He waited patiently, letting her stare and come to understanding.

The Herald gasped, her child-like features blossoming into that of her true self once more before his eyes. She was left stunned in the Inquisition uniform they had supplied for her.

“Solas, what is happening?” she asked quietly, clutching her head.

_“Wake up.”_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting to the juicy bits! Everyone knows the Hinterlands is an absolute pain to get through but now that Edith has come into her magic, she will finally begin making progress in finding the nuclear threat (that may or may not involve Redcliffe!).
> 
> If anyone is familiar with San Diego, the place Edith was remembering in the Fade is La Jolla Cove.


	4. Ambush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay. I've been going through some personal stuff but everything is okay now. I worked things out with my boyfriend and had a pretty important paper due on the Bay of Pigs that I needed to work on. I'll try and update more frequently now, I promise!

Well, she was a mage. It's not as if she could have possibly known what that felt like. When she awoke with Solas hovering beside her, she had expected many things.

The fear, now that was a given. From what she had made out about the Chantry, she had realized that the distrust and lack of understanding was rampant when it came to magic. Cassandra seemed rather pissed off about the whole thing while Varric simply shrugged it off. Solas, as was expected, seemed positively thrilled.

As soon as word spread, she was hauled right back to Haven to discuss her “predicament”. Solas readily offered his aid in teaching her everything there was to know about elemental and spirit magic. He had started bombarding her with pointers as soon as she had woken up in that god-awful tent after setting the place on fire.

“-and as you can imagine, it could be overwhelming to someone with no experience to try and tackle several schools of magic at once. You must focus your skill on the school of magic you are most attuned to.”

Edith nodded her head as she tried to focus on the road ahead of her. Thankfully they had brought horse master Dennet on board and he had supplied several horses for the group on their journey back to Haven. It was hard trying to keep the reigns steady while listening to Solas. Her inner thighs were sore and aching thanks to her _never having ridden a fucking horse before_.

She silently cursed this world and their lack of efficient transportation. If anything Solas had said about just how old Thedas was and how many civilizations had come and gone were true, this world was well past the point of necessary technological advancement. It was about time someone decided to make a significant stride in the fields of science and engineering.

“Of course, one would assume fire is the element you feel most connected to. However, that is not necessarily always true. You could very well...”

What would that make her? Was there some sort of intergalactic treaty out there that prohibited the deliberate advancement of a primitive society by an outsider? Maybe it was fair game considering the fact that someone out there had already stolen nuclear weapons from her world. Or maybe it all didn't even matter because these people had magic and therefore no great need for effective transportation.

“Da'len are you even listening?” Solas huffed, tightening his grip on the reigns.

“Psh, yeah Solas, definitely. Fire might not be my natural element, I must find the school of magic I am most attuned to,” Edith responded automatically. The elf trotting along beside her merely raised his eyebrows in suspicion and continued.

“Anyway, if I were to take a guess I would assume maybe electricity is your forte...”

Would she even be able to create a car? Would it even work in Thedas? She barely even remembered how her little Ford ran. With the help of a mage, she could possibly re-create something similar. Unfortunately she didn't even remember how to change the oil. She remembered the process of replacing her tire though, so that was something.

“So Solas, mages can channel electricity. I could possibly do it myself, right?” She spoke up randomly, looking directly into the elf's stormy gaze.

“Yes, that is what I've been saying this entire time-”

“Would a mage be able to channel that electricity into another object for a reason other than microwaving a person's insides?”

“Micro...wave? Um, I suppose that is possible, yes.”

“Awesome, I think I want to try something when we get back if at all possible.”

 

“She is a _mage_! This is madness, we cannot harbor some sort of foreign power in our midst,” Cullen spat from across the war table.

Edith unconsciously winced at the Commander's harsh tone and deliberately stared at her now wildly interesting boots. She heard Josephine sigh beside her and awaited Leliana's inevitable response.

“Commander, need I remind you that we need Edith? She has shown us her loyalty; she cannot help who she is,” Leliana answered with a cool bite to her tone.

“Magic does not exist where I am from. I admit I do not understand what is happening to me but I can assure you that this magic does not come naturally to me. Something in this world is effecting me and I would appreciate any help in researching this strange phenomena,” she spoke up, pointedly looking at Josephine and Leliana.

“That is my point! You are a danger, you can turn into an abomination at any moment and hurt somebody,” he insisted, his hand twitching against the pommel of his sword.

“I have Solas to help me. There are plenty of mages who would be willing to assist the 'Herald'. I know I am safe because if something were to happen you yourself can kill me. You are a templar, right?” Edith spoke calmly, her voice tired and hoarse. She had plans, after all.

“Yes, I am.”

“Great then, it's settled. If something goes wrong the Commander can easily kill me!” She deliberately perked up and gave an entirely false smile to the fuming Commander of the Inquisition.

“Herald if you will, we have urgent need for you in Val Royeaux. I'm afraid your studies with Solas will have to progress on the road. You must leave tomorrow morning,” Josephine added neutrally with a small, reassuring smile on her glossy lips. _Did they have lip gloss in Thedas?_

“Not that I don't have faith in myself, but we only just returned from the Hinterlands today. I am exhausted and have no idea how to control this mage thing quite yet. Wouldn't it be wise to at least give me a couple days to learn what I'm working with?” She suggested in her bafflement. These people seriously wanted her to leave right after she got back?

They had spent weeks in the Hinterlands running errands for random people and trying to stabilize the region. Not to mention she did this in shitty boots and a lack of combat skills. She had to hide behind someone every single time they encountered a rift! It was insanity to send her out right away. On a horse, no less.

“Normally we would wait but there is no time. You must try and speak with Lord Seeker Lucius. I do apologize for such short notice.”

Edith sighed heavily and gave a weary smile to the ambassador. Seeing as she had little to no choice in the matter, she waved her goodbyes and exited the Chantry quickly. She had no desire to listen to the Commander yell at her again.

The air was brisk and sharp, a feeling she was still becoming accustomed to. She had lived in San Diego her entire life, snow was not something she was intimately familiar with. It was beautiful and the air around her was fresh. This world was alive.

She was already striding up to the little cabin Solas had claimed for himself before she had even realized what she was doing. The elf was standing outside, his hands clasped behind his back as if he was expecting her.

“Ah there you are, Herald,” he began with a kind, almost eager smile. “I assume you are ready to begin your lessons?”

“I apparently have little choice because we have to leave tomorrow,” Edith said with a frown, her boot nudging the snow anxiously.

“That won't be a problem. Now Herald, I want you to hold out your palm,” Solas jumped right into it. She refrained from yawning and did as the elf ordered. “Okay, now concentrate on summoning energy directly into the palm of your hand. We shall see what element comes naturally to you.”

It was almost stereotypical. This wise, old man was training her to be a wizard. _A fucking wizard_. It was every little kid's fantasy come to life. This whole world in itself was straight out of some sort of fantasy novel. Except for the whole stolen, highly destructive nuclear weapons that could hypothetically wipe out this idyllic little fantasy world in a matter of seconds.

She shivered and tried to block out that grim thought. She would _not_ think of her home. Earth. This was all she had left to do because there was no home to go back to.

The sorrow weighed heavily on her heart despite her best efforts not to think about it and she shut her eyes. The last thing she needed was another knowing, pitiful look from the elf before her. She thought of ice, fire, and electricity shooting out of a staff. She remembered the fire that seemed to pour out of her very being to envelop the bow she was trying to practice with. The feeling of Solas's healing magic on her skin came to mind. It was feather-soft and warm as it wrapped around her limbs to absorb her injuries. Modern medicine didn't quite compare to the incredible feeling of healing magic.

Surprisingly, when she opened her eyes Solas was beaming at her. In the palm of her hand was a light, hazy, blue ball of energy that danced around her pale fingers. She let out a gasp despite knowing she was trying to summon magic in the first place. She was a mage, whatever that meant. She was wielding magic in her very human, very Earthling hand.

“It appears you have a calling as a healer,” Solas noted with a proud smile. A part of her that wasn't so excited was disappointed. She was still utterly useless on the battlefield after all.

“Yeah this is... huh. Will I be able to summon other types of magic?” She asked a little too quickly.

“In time but for now let's focus on this, shall we?”

 

Finding sleep after her lesson seemed to bring her no rest. Solas was there in the Fade awaiting her to continue. He had passionately explained how to recognize a demon from a spirit and expressed the importance of recognizing that spirits were not inherently bad. Apparently it was common in Thedas to be afraid of ghosts. Who would've thought?

The topic was fascinating and terrifying, she would give him that. She humored him and kept mostly quiet except for the occasional “mmh”, “uh-huh”, and “yes I see”. Was it possible to fall asleep in the Fade?

_Oh god, Inception._

When she finally woke up, she had to take a freezing bath and dress in damp clothing that was only washed the night before. She had to re-pack the solid bars of soap, shampoo and a big bundle of elfroot leaves that she had to chew just to freshen her breath. God, she missed toothpaste and mouthwash. She missed plumbing, cars, her laundry machine, her refrigerator. At least this world had some sort of equivalent of deodorant. She would probably never eat a bag of chips again. Why did that thought make her want to cry?

Of all the little luxuries she was allowed, some makeup supplied by Josephine was what perked her up. It's not like they had foundation to cover her redness and admittedly bad acne scars but she was allowed some powder and rouge. The rouge wasn't really “rouge”, it was more of a nude pink, but it was beautiful. She made it a point not to ask what the cosmetics were actually made of and instead just thanked Josephine profusely. This was the only bit of her normal routine from her life before that would remain.

She cursed the cold air now that she was outside and still slightly wet. Her damp, dark hair clung to her neck and chilled her to the very bone. Her teeth began involuntarily chattering and she swore under her breath, clinging her sack against her chest in vain to try and warm herself.

Solas was approaching her slowly on his horse with an amused expression. She would no doubt have to share a horse with someone after her pathetic attempt at directing her horse to Haven while it bucked and trotted away from the group.

“If I may, Herald?” Solas called neutrally, holding out his hand for her to grip. A violent shiver had her bending over and swearing once more under her breath.

“S-sure,” she grit between her teeth. She gripped his hand and let him help swing her over the back of the brown horse. She was out of breath already.

Her hands automatically wrapped around the elf covered in some sort of animal pelt. He was warm, almost frighteningly so, and she unashamedly clung to him. By some divine miracle she refrained from burying her face into the elf and instead focused on the road ahead of them as the others approached on their own horses.

He smelled of the forest itself. Despite his warmth he smelled cool and fresh, like fir needles and frost. She could even detect a hint of wood smoke and something sweet. For some reason she assumed he would have that signature old person smell. That was ridiculous though, the man couldn't be more than forty-five.

To her horror she realized he could probably hear her inhaling his scent. Thankfully she was behind him because her face was probably fifty shades of red.

 

They had supposedly reached Orlais when she heard the familiar sound. She had immediately ordered for everyone to stop moving and stay quiet. She waited with her breath held and hand raised in the air before a second deafening shot immediately followed. _Fuck_.

“Get down, now!” Edith frantically whispered before practically flying off of the horse. She clutched at Solas's robes and tugged him unceremoniously down next to her, him landing in a heap on the forest floor.

Cassandra and Varric dismounted from their respective horses and crept quietly by her side. They looked at her in disgruntled confusion and jumped at the next sound of a gunshot ringing through the air.

“Maker, what is that?” Cassandra hissed through clenched teeth. The sounds of startled cries echoed across the forest and Edith visibly paled.

“Gunshots. Someone has guns.” She spoke quietly but the silence that followed was alarming. The forest surrounding them grew quiet, the sounds of crying people all but vanished until there was the all too familiar _click_ behind their party.

“We have the Herald of Andraste!” A man hidden behind scuffed and bent armor shouted, pointing a pistol aimed directly at her head.

“Don't!” Edith cried, throwing her hands up in surrender. Cassandra and Varric reluctantly followed while Solas remained frozen.

“Don't speak, you stupid bitch. The Elder One has been looking for you,” he snarled, his thumb brushing against the trigger.

The elf scoffed and touched his head calmly. This somehow sent a shock wave of energy within ten feet, knocking the gunman from his feet. Without hesitation, Edith scrambled forward and snatched the glock that lay in the dirt a mere few feet away from the man. She did not think, did not feel, she _acted_. The safety was off and all she had to do was pull the trigger.

Edith stood in front of the helpless man flailing on the forest floor and aimed the semi-automatic pistol at his head. She fired. The sound bounced across the trees surrounding them, no doubt alerting other enemies of their presence.

“More will come,” she said monotonously, staring at the still form of the man that had a face behind that armor.

Without another word, she bent down to examine the body for more weapons. There were several rounds of bullets on him along with a whole bag of _grenades_ tied to his belt.

“Herald... how do we fight them?” Cassandra was the first to break the somber silence as they awaited the man's reinforcements. How could she respond to that? Certainly not with a sword and shield. These people had modern weapons that she herself did not quite know how to use.

The sound of twigs snapping brought the group whipping their heads toward the sound. Through the trees, she spotted the glint of shining armor and what appeared to be AK-47s.

“Get to cover!” she ordered, spotting a fallen log and darting towards it. Her heavy boots crunched the various leaves and roots as she ran, her companions not straying too far behind. The whir of bullets flying by their feet had her increasing her frantic pace as the utterly _unreal_ sound of emptying rounds followed suit.

“Maker's balls, what is going on?” Varric finally broke his silence as he hurried to keep up with them.

Edith launched over the log and ducked, the rest of the party following her as she reached for the pistol. Bullets went flying into the log but she had no choice but to try and take them out.

She peeked her head over the log and quickly aimed for the closest person firing. She pulled the trigger and cursed as she missed her target, flinging herself back before a bullet whizzed past her head.

“Solas, see if a barrier will do anything to protect us from this,” she instructed hurriedly, not even glancing upward to catch the elf's reaction. Her hands were shaking badly from the strain while her heart thundered in her chest. She could die right now. Her friends could die.

She reached into the bag snatched off of the dead man and clutched at the grenade. Luckily she understood the idea of how to use the grenade but the very thought made her retch. What if she failed?

There was no more time to think, the gunmen were too close. She pulled the tab and peeked over the log once more to take aim. The group was relatively close to each other and without another second of doubt she tossed it.

Edith watched in horrified fascination as the grenade made impact with the ground and exploded. Ducking back behind the log, she shrieked and covered her head tightly with her arms. The deafening sound had her ears ringing and entire body shaking with adrenaline.

She noticed Cassandra's mouth moving and tried to focus on it as the world stopped spinning around her.

“Herald!” The seeker's voice was a welcome respite and she breathed. “Are they dead?”

She wordlessly looked ahead and saw no more movement. Bodies littered the ground, possibly ten or more. All not moving. All that she had probably killed.

They all stood hesitantly to take in their surroundings. Edith moved to the smoldering grave, eyeing each and every corpse. Her stomach churned uncomfortably as she leaned over the body of a woman.

Her red hair was pulled in a tight knot at the base of her skull, her light blue and red eyes forever open in an unwavering, lifeless stare. She wore the insignia of what she assumed was the Templars, emblazoned on her chest. Red and purple veins crawled from her neck to her forehead. What had happened to this woman?

Her stomach simply could take no more as she lurched forward to vomit into a bush. Edith Lancaster had never killed anyone before and now she alone had murdered about twelve sentient beings.

Gentle hands from behind cradled her long, dark hair away from her face. She struggled to contain the violent shaking as she was pulled away from the gruesome sight. Looking up, she noted it was Cassandra who stood with her and pulled her away from this mess.

“We must move on to Val Royeaux. These Templars killed innocent people and so we shall give them a proper burial before leaving. We will confiscate these weapons, Herald.”

Edith nodded gratefully to the Seeker while she and Varric left to no doubt examine the bodies for more weapons. She was left with Solas who was also lost in a shocked daze.

How could they find an eliminate these people with modern weapons? Their little Inquisition army would undoubtedly be defeated. This was suicide.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some action! Modern weapons have been introduced and now the Inquisition will have to deal with that somehow.


	5. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mainly a fluffy, filler chapter until I move onto the serious, Cold War-esque stuff.
> 
> EDIT: I am putting this on hiatus for now because I am NOT happy with this fic at all. I will be fixing this and hopefully will feel more encouraged to continue the story after that is done. I'm sorry, I'll try not to be too long!

Val Royeux was beautiful, she would give the Orlesians that. As she and her companions wavered their way among the bustling crowds, she couldn't help but note how awfully similar Orlais was to France. It was almost frighteningly suspicious. There was a startling similarity between the languages on Earth for her to question if Thedas and her planet were somehow connected.

The people were dressed in fine silk gowns, wearing ridiculous masks and hats as if the market square was a masquerade ball. The very rooftops glistened with gold trim while proud statues littered the alleyways. Merchants lined every corner selling everything from cosmetics and fragrances to animal pelts and hunting goods. No matter what their wares were, the merchants all dressed in equally impractical attire.

Today, Edith watched the equivalent of a nun get sucker punched, a sociopath declare that the Templars were not dealing with the world's problems, and recruited two new eccentric people. The first, an elf with an awful haircut and the second, a self absorbed mage with a wicked fierce hat.

Now, as she sat in the corner of a (thankfully) quiet inn on the outskirts of the city, Edith found that she could not stop thinking about the dead woman's face. She was not the first person she had killed that day but her face was the only one she had really seen. Not even the man she had shot in the head stuck with her the way the woman did. At least the man's face was hidden.

The others had all retired for the night in their shared rooms while she herself stayed in the tavern trying to nurse a glass of wine. Back home she wasn't even old enough to drink. Sometimes she would drive down to Tijuana with her friend, Sandy, just to go to the beach and drink margaritas. She'd probably never have another margarita again.

Those people she murdered had friends, they had family. Was she no better than the crazy bastard who nuked her world?

Downing the rest of the bitter wine, she leaned her head wearily in her hands. The family of the beautiful red-haired woman she had killed would probably never even know she was dead. _How could I do this?_

“How ya holdin' up, kid?” Varric's casual lilt interrupted her from her thoughts.

“I'm okay,” she answered automatically. Pouring her heart out just seemed so... tiring.

“No you're not. You don't have to be.”

The dwarf and his proud chest hair shuffled their way into the seat across from her. He deliberately shouted for the bartender to send over more drinks.

“Varric, I don't really want to-”

“Eh, don't worry about me. I'm not going to push you to talk about it. I'm just here to have a drink and tell you my favorite story,” he insisted with a reassuring grin. She found that she couldn't contain the smile that tugged at her lips and relented.

“What story is that?”

“Why, my own! 'The Tale of the Champion'.”

 

How she ended up in the room she shared with Cassandra was beyond her, but she was grateful nonetheless for the dreamless night of sleep.

The majority of the day was spent on horseback, with her clinging to Solas as the horses meandered up the thin slope of the mountain that would eventually take them into the valley that Haven lay nestled in. Varric and the elf, Sera, chattered seemingly endlessly while Vivienne added her disgusted input every once in a while.

No one said a word about the “cargo” the horses were dragging in carts behind them. The seemingly endless amount of machine guns, pistols, hundreds of rounds of ammo, grenades, and even mortars that they had confiscated from the Templars.

It was terrifying just looking at the piles in the carts covered by a mere piece of cloth. She had no desire to harbor such weapons, she wanted them destroyed so they could never harm another again. Yet, this was just a minuscule fraction of the weapons from Earth smuggled into this world. Someone else had them and they absolutely would be used against innocent people.

They made camp at dusk, in a small clearing surrounded by thick pine trees. It was fascinating just how similar Thedas was compared to Earth. The flora and fauna differed vastly but the occasional familiar tree or flower sent her heart soaring.

She busied herself with helping Cassandra prepare a stew over a fire lit by Vivienne. The others pitched tents and laid out bedrolls, everyone cursing the snow beneath their feet. Sera was raucous and sniveling as she listened to Varric tell a story while Edith found she simply could not pay attention.

By the time the stew was finished cooking and the group had huddled in front of the fire, she was just too tired. She silently chewed the crusty bread and shoveled the stew into her mouth before trying to excuse herself.

“Wait, Herald-y ladyness!” Sera jumped up, ignoring the stew she just thrust into the snow.

“Yes, Sera?” Edith asked wearily, turning slightly to engage the elf.

“Yer like, not from 'ere, right? It's a bit weird, yeah?” Sera asked bluntly with flailing hands.

“Um, yeah. I'm from a different world, or planet, or dimension or something, I guess.”

“You're scary then. I've decided I can't share with Vivienne, she's a right bitch. You're scary too and so is that elfy-elf, so I have to share a tent with Varric. Sorry.” She mumbled, already turning away from her to skip to the tent.

“Can you not just share with Cassandra?” Edith tried to placate in vain before Vivienne began scowling.

“If you suggest that I have to share with that hedge mage, you have another thing coming, my dear,” Vivienne declared, her voice suggesting no arguments were to be made.

It was just Edith's luck to have to share a tent with Solas. She'd been sniffing him like all day, deliberately trying to avoid cuddling into him. He just smelled _so good_ and he was so warm and soft. No, sharing a tent with Solas would be more than a little uncomfortable if she unconsciously wiggled her way into his lap.

Nonetheless, she shuffled into the tent and plopped onto the bedroll beneath her. Her butt and thighs were positively screaming from the ride on horseback while her feet and hands were both blistered and raw. Her lips were chapped from the bitter cold and the tips of her fingertips looked as if they were beginning to turn blue. By the time she struggled out of her boots and bulky coat, she was left in a plain tunic and leggings that did very little to protect against the biting cold.

 _Duh, you're a mage_. Remembering her little lessons with Solas, she held out her bare palm and shut her eyes. Trying to ignore the raised voices and laughter from directly outside of the tent, she attempted to focus on that little ball of blue healing magic she was able to conjure just the other day.

By the time she opened her eyes the light had appeared, bathing herself and the tent in a magnificent blue hue. She tentatively placed her palm against her clothed inner thigh and proceeded to shriek.

It was agonizing, the supposed healing magic had instead begun searing her inner thigh and so she stopped abruptly. Edith tried pathetically shaking her hand in the air as if it could make the stupid magic huff out and that is unfortunately how Solas found her.

“Herald, are you okay? We heard screaming,” Solas spoke quickly, almost breathlessly as he poked his head through the entrance of the tent. His eyes immediately locked onto her hand flapping helplessly in the air and he gasped. He looked stunned, his mouth struggling against the apparent need to burst into laughter.

“What are you doing?”

“I-I'm just trying to make this magic thing go out. I tried to heal myself and instead I just burned myself and made it worse,” she lamented weakly, her hand seizing to flail. He stepped fully into the tent, taking care to close the flaps behind him before seating himself upon the bedroll beside her's.

“That was dangerous of you, we have barely even covered how to control it. Trying to use your newborn magic alone could have gone disastrously,” he chided, although he didn't sound too displeased with her.

“I'm sorry, Solas. It's just _so painful_ riding horses all day. I miss my car,” she whined, her voice cracking pathetically. She was so weak, so naive. Solas wouldn't take her seriously, no one would.

The elf before her sighed and conjured a little orb of light to cast over their heads. He carefully regarded her from head to toe, probably examining for any visible injury.

“Tell me where it hurts, da'len,” he suggested calmly, clasping his hands together in his lap as he waited patiently.

He knew _exactly_ where it hurt. She couldn't tell him, he wasn't exactly a medical professional.

“You know what, just forget it. I'll be fine, I'm just a whiny baby. Don't even worry about me,” she chattered nervously, turning away from him and instead flopping down onto the bedroll. She heard his sigh and some shuffling before he spoke once more.

“We both know I can heal it. Just tell me please.”

“Nah, really, I'm good.”

“Herald.”

“ _Solas_.”

“This is childish, you will just be in more pain tomorrow when we have to finish our journey to Haven,” Solas insisted, seemingly exasperated.

Edith flung upward from her bedroll and scowled. Her entire face was already growing hot at just the idea of his hand creeping against her thigh.

“It's from riding the horse, Solas. My inner thighs are chafed and my hands and feet have blisters while my lips are really, really chapped. I'm afraid I am still growing accustomed to the cold; I lived in a very warm city by the beach for the majority of my life so I'm sorry for being so weak,” the words poured from her mouth in rapid, embarrassing succession while the elf listened attentively.

He didn't say a word as he softly took hold of her hands in his own. His own gold healing magic coated her hands in its aura, absorbing quickly into her skin. She let out a tiny, relieved groan and closed her eyes at that incredible warm feeling. Why didn't her own magic do that?

His still-glowing hands strayed to her feet where he repeated the process, slowly crawling up her legs until he reached her knees. She dared not open her eyes, too nervous and far too afraid to even look at the man as he knelt before her. He was just being kind, there was nothing inherently erotic about the act of healing and yet she couldn't deny that trying to suppress every little moan was difficult indeed.

Eventually, he gently placed his hands against the sides of her thighs. His fingers were roaming dangerously close to her center, yet not close enough to be outright obscene. Another little gasp escaped her mouth as he healed the area and she sighed as he finally stopped and moved away. Her eyes peeled open to find his fingers already cradling her chin to heal her chapped lips. The light above them abruptly snuffed out, stealing what little breath she had left in her. She heard his own unsteady breathing before her, his fingers slowly retreating from her lip as he backed away.

“T-thank you,” Edith said quietly, unable to quiet the trembling in her voice.

“It is no trouble, Herald.”

“Right then, so goodnight.”

She shuffled anxiously into her bedroll, desperate to fling herself into her dreams to escape the unbearable tension between her and the elf.

 

Edith smiled, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat as she strolled along University Avenue. North Park was loud as usual for a Saturday night; people were pouring out of the bars in massive groups just to crawl into the nearest one across the street.

It was ridiculously stupid to be walking alone, near darkened alleyways and painfully obvious drug deals. Most everyone she passed had been tugging along a friend, giggling and shouting madly into the street. She was just used to being alone.

The night was alarmingly chilly for August, her olive green utility jacket offering little to no protection over her simple flowy tank and blue jeans. She shivered, tugging the sleeves of her jacket over her fingers as she walked.

A breeze swept her straightened hair into her face, the strands getting stuck on her sticky liquid lipstick. She spat indignantly, scowling and cursing as she attempted to untangle her hair from her own torturous mouth.

An indulgent chuckle from beside her caused her heart to nearly burst from her chest. The hair on her lips was inhaled during her startled gasp, causing her to kneel forward in a humiliating coughing fit.

She spat out the last strand of damp hair from her mouth and regarded her intruder. _Huh_...

If Solas was standing before her in all his Elvhen glory, that meant that this was not real. She was not really waltzing around San Diego after seeing Wavves perform at The Observatory. She would never actually see this place again.

A small sigh escaped her before the thought to contain it had crossed her mind. Realizing her apparent rudeness, she quickly darted her eyes back to the elf.

“Hey, Solas. I'm sorry, I don't mean to seem disappointed to see you, it's not that at all...” Edith rambled, her breath catching as he took a hesitant step forward. His hands were casually clasped behind his back while he strode forward, surprisingly unperturbed by the alien scenery around him.

“I quite understand, Herald. It's okay to forget, I do not wish to cause you distress,” he responded coolly, his gray eyes betraying nothing but soft understanding.

She sighed heavily and darted her eyes away to take in the view. Directly in front of her was the North Park sign in the middle of the street. Amazingly the once boisterous crowd had quieted, the people paused completely as if in mid-air. The cars had stopped moving as the very city itself had silenced.

Gasping, she turned back to the elf in question.

“Did you do this?” she inquired with a wave to the frozen street in front of her. A playful smirk tugged at his pale lips as he regarded her with a nod.

“This is a memory of yours, is it not? You can pause it at any moment unless you'd wish to show me what happened this night.” It was as close to a plea she thought she would ever hear from the stoic man.

Swallowing against the unrelenting sadness that threatened to overwhelm her, she decided she may as well share this world with one of the only people who could ever see it with her.

“Very well, do I just think really hard about where I want this to play out?” She asked quickly, knowing exactly where to thrust an unsuspecting Solas.

“Yes, da'len. Just focus on a particular memory and it will shape the Fade around us.”

Shutting her eyes, she quietly envisioned herself near the front of the concert venue where she had received several bruises that night. The music roared to life and the sway of the crowd practically knocked her off her feet. She opened her eyes and let out a thrilled laugh.

_“I'm not supposed to be a kid.... But I'm an idiot... I'd say I'm sorry, but it wouldn't mean shit.”_

She was being shoved in several directions while the overwhelming crowd pushed her around like a ragdoll. People sang along and jumped with the music, arms flailed above their owner's heads while beach balls were tossed into the audience. She felt a sharp tug at her wrist and failed to stifle the giggle when she saw that it was Solas.

He was clinging pathetically to her arm as the crowd surged forward and she let out a squeal of delight. How was it possible to feel the people around them? How was it possible to hear with such perfect clarity every little breathy bellow from the singer?

“Can you not maybe show me another memory?” Solas shouted over the blaring distortion of the electric guitars. No, _this __was Solas pleading._

Allowing herself just one more moment to absorb the giddy memory of being lost in the crowd and music, she relented and shut her eyes once more.

The music had ceased along with Solas's tight hold on her arm. The all-too familiar sound of birds chirping and a breeze rustling through the trees interrupted her from her thoughts. The strong scent of pine and dirt filled her nose as she quietly gazed at the magnificent view before her.

She thought she heard a gasp of wonderment from the elf beside her as they gazed upon the tree-filled valley shrouded in hues of orange and purple. A falcon swooped overhead as it darted below to soar among the trees. If her memory served correct at all, this was the little hiking spot she found off the 78 on the way to Julian. She took her little sister here not too long ago.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” Edith murmured, mostly to herself. He nodded beside her in affirmation and she wordlessly regarded him. His mouth was slightly parted in awe at the gorgeous scenery before him.

“Would you like to know a little about the history of this place?” she inquired carefully. Finally, the elf looked back at her in a slight daze, almost as if he forgot she was even there.

“I would love to,” he answered honestly.

Before she could prepare her own lesson for the day, a piercing giggle interrupted them. She knew that laugh. Her own heartbeat thudded wildly in her ear as the blood drained from her face. Her throat seized as she whipped back around to look for the source of such a laugh.

“Eeeeedith!”

Suzy came running up the path in her familiar converse high-tops. She wore the purple hoodie she always did along with black jeans dusted in a fine coat of dirt from the hike. Her long brown hair blew around crazily in the breeze while her bright blue eyes looked directly at her.

Edith gasped, stepping forward in shock. Surely Suzy couldn't really see her?

The sound of her own laugh and the sight of herself gave her pause. Suzy turned back to laugh at herself. There she herself stood, in clothing highly unfit for a real hike. She wore a white, peasant-like sundress that fell just above her knee leaving her legs bare while her feet were covered in her favorite ankle boots. Edith's hair was flying around in the wind as she finally caught up with her sister.

“We have to hurry up and take a picture of the view, okay? We got to get to Julian before the sun sets!” Edith almost cringed at the sound of her own voice while Solas gazed at her other self in awe.

“Well come on then, Edith!” Suzy insisted, running over to tug on her arm. They both laughed breathlessly until they finally reached the view.

She hadn't even noticed she was crying until Solas had touched her own arm.

“Would you like to wake up now?” He asked softly, his thumb slightly brushing against the inside of her elbow. She nodded, staring at the back of her sister's head until the beautiful picture faded from sight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious about where Edith was remembering the hike, [here are some pictures I actually took from this place.](https://imgur.com/a/pplcN)
> 
> Also, I may or may not be basing her memories after my actual experiences. I totally saw Wavves live in North Park twice and it was amazing.

**Author's Note:**

> I am by no means a scientist or philosopher, but I am a college student so CLOSE ENOUGH, amirite guys? This is definitely still a work in progress but I hope you enjoy!


End file.
